Conan O’Brien says the loss of Rob and Michele Reiner still hits him unexpectedly nearly a year after their deaths.
The comedian reflected on his late friends while honoring their legacy at Children’s Institute’s annual Cape & Gown Gala at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills on Sunday, November 8.
“It’s so devastating and surreal that Rob and Michele are not with us anymore,” O’Brien said during the event, according to People. “I think multiple times a week, it will hit me that they’re not here. It leaves you feeling very hollow.”
Conan O’Brien’s tribute to Rob and Michele Reiner comes months after he first opened up about the shock of losing the filmmaker and his wife, whom he had seen only hours before their deaths.
Conan O’Brien Says The Loss Still Hits Him Every Week
O’Brien, 63, said the reality of Rob and Michele’s absence continues to catch him off guard. His remarks came as more than 600 guests gathered to celebrate the couple’s lives and longstanding commitment to children and families.
Rather than focusing solely on his grief, O’Brien spoke about continuing the work that mattered to them. “This event, something that they cared about so much, the Children’s Institute, is just a way to imagine and realize that they’re here and they’re working,” he said.
O’Brien added that supporting the organization offers a way to carry forward what the couple started. “We keep them close if we join in and do the work because that’s what they were all about,” he said. The gala raised a record $4 million for Children’s Institute, which provides early childhood education, mental health services and family support across Los Angeles County.
He Had Seen Rob And Michele Just Hours Before Their Deaths
O’Brien’s connection to the tragedy is particularly painful because Rob, Michele and their son Nick Reiner attended his holiday party on December 13, 2025. Rob and Michele were found dead at their Los Angeles home the following day.
Nick was later arrested and charged in connection with their deaths. He has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder with special circumstances. EntertainmentNow previously reported that O’Brien struggled to process having said goodbye to the couple only hours before learning they were gone.
Speaking to The New Yorker earlier this year, he described himself as being “in shock for quite a while” afterward. He also said Rob’s sudden absence was difficult to comprehend because of how outspoken and involved the director remained in causes he cared about. At the gala, O’Brien shifted the focus toward making sure that work continues.
Jake And Romy Reiner Also Honored Their Parents
O’Brien was not the only person paying tribute during the evening. Rob and Michele’s children, Jake and Romy Reiner, also appeared together and presented the inaugural Michele & Rob Reiner Champion for Change Award to Jamie Lee Curtis.
EntertainmentNow reported that the siblings used the appearance to highlight their parents’ activism and the values they brought into their own home. Jake said his parents were “champions for change,” while Romy spoke emotionally about Curtis’ support for the family following the tragedy.
Children’s Institute President and CEO Martine Singer, Michele’s sister, also reflected on the couple’s influence. “Their love was generous, fierce and unconditional,” Singer said, adding that the organization intends to carry forward the urgency Rob and Michele brought to their advocacy. Curtis, a longtime friend of the family, became the first recipient of the award created in their names.
Conan O’Brien Has Continued Honoring Rob Reiner
Sunday’s remarks were not O’Brien’s first public tribute to Rob. Earlier this year, EntertainmentNow reported that O’Brien revealed the 2026 Academy Awards would include a special tribute to the filmmaker.
At the time, he described the planned tribute as a “very powerful” part of the ceremony. O’Brien has also made clear that any attention he received because the Reiners had attended his holiday party was insignificant compared with the loss suffered by their family. EntertainmentNow reported that he said there was “only sadness that they’re gone.”
Nearly one year later, Conan O’Brien’s tribute to the Reiners focused less on the circumstances surrounding their deaths and more on how deeply their absence is still felt. For O’Brien, and like most people, continuing the work Rob and Michele believed in appears to be one way of keeping their legacy close.
Conan O’Brien Makes Painful Admission Nearly A Year After Reiner Tragedy